CM: What is behind the ‘involution’ of Loftus-Cheek and what filters on his future | OneFootball

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was one of AC Milan’s better performers last season, but so far Paulo Fonseca has struggled to get the same levels out of him.

As a report from Calciomercato.com points out, Loftus-Cheek’s season so far has not been up to the level of the last. Apart from the physical problems he has battled, the English midfielder is unable to perform at his best due to some tactical issues.

Under Stefano Pioli, the Englishman scored 10 goals in the role of ‘atypical attacking midfielder’, showing his strength and his finishing with late runs into the box. However, in 2024-25 so far Loftus-Cheek is lacking not only goals but good performances.

The former Chelsea player has not yet found a precise position on the pitch under Paulo Fonseca. Even when he was deployed behind the striker, the new coach assigned him more defensive and coverage tasks than he was used to.

In other games, such as the one against Liverpool and the one against Club Brugge, RLC lowered the centre of gravity, thus hindering the runs of the midfielders and slowing down attacking moves. It is no coincidence that when he went off spaces opened up for Tijjani Reijnders to exploit.

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After the game against Brugge, Fonseca explained why he believes that the 28-year-old is finding things a bit more difficult: “Loftus is an acceleration player with the ball at his feet; when he is without space, he has more difficulty. But it’s not that he is afraid… Those are his characteristics.

“We need to make him understand certain things better. He works hard, always, he gives everything for the team. I’m sorry he wasn’t at the level at which I know he can play.”

The statistics that are most worrying are the attacking ones, which highlight the differences between last season and this one: 0.7 shots per game, against the 1.4 from 2023-24. To date, however, the data relating to the accuracy of passes in one’s own half of the pitch has increased: 97% against 86%.

Photo by Giuseppe Cottini/AC Milan via Getty Images

If you consult the player’s heat map, then, you notice that the Englishman’s position is further from the goal. What about his position in Milan’s plans? Even if Loftus-Cheek is unable to impose himself in Fonseca’s plans, there is no big news on the transfer front.

He enjoys the trust of the club and no other team, for the moment, has shown up at Milan’s door to ask for information. This also in light of the considerable salary that the former Chelsea player receives (€4m net per season), so it is likely the situation will remain until at least the next summer window.

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s another threat for RLC: Fonseca is also intrigued by the idea of ​​deploying Pulisic in the role of attacking midfielder, so that Samuel Chukwueze can come in on the right amid a positive run of form. For now, however, this ‘experiment’ has been put on hold.